S&T Baja Team hits the dirt

A team of students from Missouri University of Science and Technology traveled to a dirt track in rural Tennessee to race its dune buggy head-to-head against 100 other Baja vehicles from collegiate teams across the country.

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By Staff Reports

The Rolla Daily News - Rolla, MO

By Staff Reports

Posted Apr. 22, 2013 at 8:30 AM

By Staff Reports

Posted Apr. 22, 2013 at 8:30 AM

A team of students from Missouri University of Science and Technology traveled to a dirt track in rural Tennessee to race its dune buggy head-to-head against 100 other Baja vehicles from collegiate teams across the country.

The race was part of a competition that challenges college students to design and build an off-road vehicle capable of traversing rough terrain and water.

The S&T Baja Team competed at the Baja SAE regional competition at Tennessee Technological University April 18-21. The race was held at the Tennessee Tech School of Agriculture’s 300-acre Shipley Farm and the Hyder-Burks Agricultural Pavillion in Cookeville, Tenn.

Teams were judged on cost, design, technical specifications, performance and endurance. The students did not know in advance the technical questions that the judges would ask, so they had to be fully prepared to explain every aspect of their vehicle.

The team put its car through the paces in a series of dynamic events designed to test the car’s maneuverability. The competition concluded with a four-hour endurance race.

The course was riddled with obstacles and debris that the teams had to negotiate, such as mud, sand, downed trees and ramps to jump. Teams were assessed penalties for infractions like poor or dangerous driving or running out of gas while on the track.

Results from the competition were not available by press time Sunday.

“The experiences on the team are truly invaluable,” said former team manager Wesley Englund, a senior in mechanical engineering from El Dorado Springs. “People say it all the time, but it is not really about winning. The program is just so rewarding for students and it is a great experience.”

Randall Lewis, an instructional lab coordinator in mechanical and aerospace engineering at S&T, is the Baja Team adviser.

For more information on the competition visit SAE International online at http://students.sae.org/competitions/bajasae/east/.